Folding ironing table



Dec. 23, 1930. DANIELSON 1,786,008

FOLDING IRONING TABLE Filed Jan. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 23, 1930. c. DANIELSON 1,786,008

FOLDING IRONING TABLE Filed Jan. 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 edge of the cleat 14, for a purpose that wil Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES DANIELSON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO HALL NELSON IvIANUIEACTURING- COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A PARTNERSHIP CON SIS'IING OF CHARLES A. HALL AND E. G. NELSON FOLDING IRONING TABLE Application filed January, 14, 1928. Serial No. 246,714.

My present invention has for its object to provide a folding ironing table of simple construction that is easy to set up or fold and, when set up, is very rigid and, when folded, its supporting members come within the field of the ironing board, thus facilitating the handling, packing and shipping thereof and adapt it large'number of the ironing tables to be shipped in a car.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the' drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the ing table;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with some parts shown in different positions by folding iron- 'means of broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of. the folding ironing table;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view wit-h some parts sectioned on the line 4r -4: of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 with the exception that certain parts thereof have been folded; a

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the ironing table folded; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

The folding ironing table comprises a board 8, a pair of upright legs 9, a pair of oblique legs 10 and a strut 11.

The board 8 has on its under sides near one of its ends a transverse cle'at- 12 rigidly secured thereto by a pair of nut-equipped bolts 13, the heads of which are countersunk in the top surface of the board 8. The other end of the board 8 has the customary taper and is reinforced by a transverse cleat'14 secured to'the under side of the board 8 by screws 15. A stop shoulder 16 is afforded by the inner presently appear. 7

. The oblique pair of legs at their upper ends are held laterally spaced by the ends ofthe cleat l2 and are pivotally secured thereto by lag screws 17. The upright legs 9'are also pivotally secured to the cleat 12 by the lag screws 17 and are located outward'of the oblique legs 10 and are laterally spaced thereby. The pivotal connections of the oblique legs 10 are such as to permit limited lateral pivoted at 19 near their upper corners to the rear faces of the upright legs 9. The pivotal connection 20 between the members of the brace 18 is slightly below a dead center when said brace is straightened. Cut and pressed from the lower outer corner portions of the members of-the brace 18 are inwardly and laterally projecting abutinents 21 arranged to engage the inner faces of the upright legs 9 during the straightening movement of the brace 18 to limit said straightening movement and position the pivot 20 slightly beyond a dead center. These abutments 21 by their engagement with the upright legs 9 during their spreading movement limit the pivotal movements of the members of the brace 18 in respect to said legs.

When the brace 20 is straight, it holds the upright legs 9 spread with their lower end portions projecting outward of the longitudinal edge portions of the board 8. When the brace 18 is buckled, the uprightlegs 9 are substantially parallel and when folded onto the board 8, as shown in Fig. 6, come entirely within the field of said board and .do not project outward thereof. During the buckling movement of the brace 18, the abut ments 21 engage the outer faces of the oblique legs 10 when folded and limit said buckling movement, as shown in Fig. 6. A pair of notches 22 are formed in the upper longitudinal edge portions of the members of the brace 10 and when said brace is straight, said notches are aligned.

The strut 11, as shown, comprises a single wooden bar set vertically edgewise and intermediately pivoted to a crosstie rod 23, the ends of which are rigidly secured in the oblique legs 10. Said strut 11 is pivotally attached to the crosstie rod 23 of? center so that its forward end is considerably longer than its inner end and has the greatest weight so that the tendency thereof is to fold into the plane of the oblique legs 10.

The long end of the strut 11 releasably engages the stop shoulder 16 at the transv rse center of the board 8 and supports the tapered end of said board. The inner end portion of the strut 11 rests in the aligned notches 2:2 and has in its lower edge a trans verse notch 24; into which the members of the brace 18 extend. This interlocking engagement between the strut 11 and brace 18 holds the legs 9 against pivotal movement and it also holds said brace against buckling movement. The aligned notches 22 hold the respective end of the strut 11 against lateral movement. Obviously, the strut 11 not only supports the tapered end of the board 8 but holds the pairs of legs 9 and 10 against pivotal movement.

By reference to Figs. 6 and 7 it will be noted that the pairs of legs 9 and 10 and strut 11 are folded into substantially the same plane on the under side of the board 8, that the pair of legs 10 fold within the legs 9 and the strut 11 folds between the pairs of legs 9. Said pair of legs 10 and strut 11 are held folded onto the board 8 by the brace 18 which overlies the same. It is highly important to note that all of the supporting meml ers for the board 8 come within the field of said board when folded with the exception that the outer ends of the oblique legs 10 which are sprung together and connected by a bolt and project just slightly outward of the tapered end of the board 8. Rubber pads 26 are secured to the lower ends of the pairs of legs 9 and 10.

The purpose of extending the oblique legs 10 slightly outward of the tapered end of the board 8 is to facilitate the folding of the ironing table whereby the same may be supported in an upright position on the oblique legs 10 thus leaving the board 8, upright legs 9 and strut 11 free for swinging movement so that they will hang loosely folded against the board 8 under the action of gravity.

To set up the ironing table the same is first stood on end and supported on the oblique legs 10. llhen by taking hold of the upper or short end of the strut 11 and swinging-the same away from the board 8, said board will be engaged by the lower end of toe strut 11 and swing away from the pair of legs 10 and this movement is continued until the lower end of the strut 11 passes over the cleat 11 and is engaged by the stop surface 16 thereof. Then by swinging the upright pairs of legs 9 away from the pair of oblique legs 10 and continuing this movement until the buckled brace 18 engages the under side of the strut 11, thereby straightening said brace which spreads the legs 9 and brings the abtuments 21 into contact with the inner faces thereof. During this same movement of the legs 9, the operator directs the strut 11 into the aligned notches 22 until stopped by the interlocking engagement of the lock notch 24 with the members of the brace 18. During the outward swinging movement of the upright legs 9, the strut 11 by its engagement with the brace 18 is placed under tension so that when the lock notch 24 is aligned with the brace 18, the same will spring into interlocking engagement therewith. Then by lowering the wide end of the board 8 until the legs 9 engage the floor the ironing table will be set up ready for use, as best shown in Fig. 2.

To fold the ironing board the same is tipped endwise toward its tapered end and supported on the oblique legs 10 when brought into an upright position and then by pressing the tapered end of the board 8 away from the oblique legs 10, which may be held by the operator placing his foot against the lower end portions thereof, sutiiciently to disengage the strut 11 from the stop shoulder 16, said strut will automatically swing into an upright position due to the heavy lower end thereof and thereby lift its lock notch 24: out of interlocking engagementwith the brace 18 and permitthelegs 9 to swing into an upright position under the action of gravity. The board 8 will also swing into an upright position and thereby complete the folding movement of the ironing table.

The brace 18 while rigidly holding the legs 9 spread in their operative positions will yield slightly under the action of endwise pressure produced on the strut 11 by ironing action and thereby prevent the legs from creeping on the floor.

The above described ironing board, while extremely simple in construction and easy to set up or take down is very rigid and will not wiggle under ironing action.

hat I claim is:

1. A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair of upright legs loosely pivoted to one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, all of said legs being arranged to be folded onto the board, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged to straighten by a downward movement of the knee of the toggle and spread the oblique legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the uprightlegs toward each other, stop means for limiting the straightening movement of said toggle, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its ends supporting the other end ryzeaooe of the board and with its other end resting onthe top of the brace as a support and holding the brace against buckling movement, said board being provided with a stop shoulder with which the board-supporting end of the strut engages for holding said strut against endwise movement away from the upright legs, said strut having a notch into which the brace extends for holding the upright legs against pivotal movement.

2. A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair of upright legs loosely pivoted to one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, all of said legs being arranged to be folded onto the board, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged to straighten by a downward movement of the knee of the toggle and spread the oblique legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the upright legs toward each other, stop means for limiting the straightening movement of said toggle, the overlapped end portions of the members of the brace having in their upper edge portions notches that are aligned when the brace is straight, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its ends supporting the other end of the board and with its other end resting on the brace as a support within the aligned notches and held thereby against lateral movement, said strut having a notch in which the brace at its notches extends for holding the upright legs against pivotal movement.

3. A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair of upright legs loosely pivoted to one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, all of said legs being arranged to be folded onto the board, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged to straighten by adownward movement of the knee of the toggle and spread the oblique legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the upright legs toward each other, the overlapped end portions of the members of the brace having in their upper elge portions notches that are aligned when the brace straight, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its end-s supporting the other end of the board and its other end resting on the brace as a support within the aligned notches, the members of the brace at the notches engaging the sides of the strut as stops to limit the angular movement of the toggle lever elements, said strut having a notch with which the brace engages for holding the upright legs from folding toward the board.

4:- A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair oiupright legs looselypivotedto one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, all of said legs being arranged to be folded onto the board, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged to straighten by a downward movement of the knee of the toggle and spread the upright legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the upright legs toward each other, said brace hav ing abutments on its outer ends to engage the upright legs during the straightening movement of the brace and limit the pivotal movements of the members of the brace on the upright legs, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its ends supporting the other end of the board and with its other end resting on the top of the brace as a support and holding the brace against buckling movement, said board being provided'with a stop shoulder with which the board-supporting end of the strut engages for holding said strut against endwise movement away from the upright legs, said strut having a notch with which the brace engages for holding the upright legs from folding toward the board.

5. A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair of upright legs loosely pivoted to one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, all of said legs being arranged to be folded onto the board, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged when straightened to spread the upright legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the upright legs toward each other, said brace having abutments on its outer ends to engage the up right legs during the straightening movement of the brace and limit the pivotal movements of the members of the brace on the upright legs, the overlapped end portions of the members of the brace having notches in their upper edge portions that are aligned when the brace is straight, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its ends supporting the other end of the board and with its other end detachably engaging the brace within the aligned notches for holding the upright legs against pivotal movement and the brace from buckling and in position with the abutments pressed against the upright legs.

6. A folding ironing table comprising a board, a pair of upright legs loosely pivoted to one end of the board and an oblique leg pivoted to the same end of the board for supporting one end thereof, a brace in the form of a toggle lever connecting the upright legs and arranged when straightened to spread the upright legs into operative positions and when buckled to draw the upright legs toward each other, the members of the brace having notches that are aligned when the brace is straightened, and a strut intermediately pivoted to the oblique leg with one of its ends supporting the other end of the board and with its other end detachebly engaging the brace Within the aligned notches and closing the same for holding the upright legs against pivotal movement and for limiting the straightening movement of the brace by the engagement of its members at the notches with the strut.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CILKRLES DANIELSON. 

